Jan Ken Pon
by T a C o C a T
Summary: Is it a luxury I cannot afford or a blessing I don't deserve? We are dog chasing its tail. We will pursue each other in vain, searching for the one thing that evades us: Happiness. Sasuke loves Sakura. Sakura loves Naruto. Naruto is oblivious. SasuSaku
1. Tragedy Becomes You

_Why do you hate me?  
Am I really asking for so much?  
Am I really being that selfish?  
I just want to be happy.  
Doesn't everybody?  
Am I wrong...?  
Please..._

Just...

L o o k A t M e

**C h a p t e r I**

"I think I've got it." 

"Yeah? That's nice."

I just wanted him to leave me alone. Even unintentionally, he was gloating. All it took was his presence to rub it in my face, my face which — well hidden by the darkness of the cell, burned in shame. I had been down right humiliated, and no, it wasn't just that he had (as he would have unintelligently put it,) 'kicked my sorry, scrawny behind' — it was so much more than that. I had taken a bruise to my ego worse than any other before, and he had been the one to inflict it. I just couldn't deal with it. I just couldn't accept it. It made no sense!

"It's that whole angsty, pitiful thing you got going on there. You probably wouldn't look half that attractive if you wandered around smiling all the time." He said decidedly, a look of absolute revelation on his face, and it didn't last long. It crumpled again into a look of confusion, his blond brows wrinkled together in thought. "Or maybe it's because you look like a girl. The chicks are all for that pretty boy thing nowadays. Or maybe! Maybe, it's because you're playing hard to get. There's nothing anybody wants more than something they can't have."

I had never fully understood this concept until it could be applied into my own life.

"Or!" He continued, his mouth splitting into an eye-to-ear smile, his azure eyes twinkling with a (not so) bright idea. "It could be the deadly combination of all..." He counted on his fingers. "Three!" And coming at last to the end of what he obviously thought to be a brilliant conclusion, he rocked back on two legs of the chair and rested an open-toed shoe on one of the bars separating us. "I have discovered the secret behind your success with the opposite sex." 

What on earth possessed her to fall in love with this idiot? To choose _him_ over _me_?

I sighed, blowing the bangs out of my eyes with a frustrated exhale. The cell was cold and the only source of dim light came from the flickering lamps that hung from the ceiling, strung all the way down the long hallway. It was stuffy and stale and smelt of mold, but the tunnels and rooms of Orochimaru's lairs had not been much different, and I had grown accustomed to the poor state of living. Besides, I was in jail. I was there prisoner. I couldn't betray my home country and then expect them to welcome me into a nicely furnished hotel room with a complimentary meal? "I am not pitiful." I replied at last in an annoyed monotone. "I do not look like a girl. And I am not playing hard to get. Sorry, try again."

He snorted in amusement and sat up strait, the chair falling back onto all fours with a loud clatter. "You are too pitiful. I could cry myself to sleep tonight just thinking about you, Mr. Gloom-and-Doom. Hard to get? Okay, maybe you're playing Impossible to get instead. And as for looking like a girl? Sure. Slap on a couple of boobs and cut you down a few inches vertical-wise, and you could totally pass for a woman." He squinted and stared at me scrutinizingly, pressing his lips together. There was something in the way he looked at me that caused me to suppress a shudder. "You'd actually be kind of good looking." He finished finally.

This time, I did actually shudder. I couldn't help but wonder why me, why was I the one forced to suffer with an incurable idiot? "That's disgusting. Don't ever say anything like that again." I said, trying to fight away the look of repulse that was forcing its way into my features. He threw back his head and howled in laughter, obviously finding something hilarious where I did not. When the chuckling had died down and the echoes had faded away, he wiped at his eye. "What are you doing down here, anyway? I have difficulty believing you just wanted my company."

He sat up a bit straighter, his eyes shifting and his face flushing like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "The council is looking for me." He murmured quietly, scratching guiltily at the whisker marks on his cheek. "I... um.. forgot to do the paperwork today. And the day before... And I don't know, maybe the day before that too." He chuckled abashedly. "So I figured I'd hide the one place they wouldn't think of. With you!"

I should have been used to this sort of behavior coming from him by now, but I was still amazed by his stupidity. I slapped the palm of my head against my forehead and shook my head as he spat out a few nonsensical words in an attempt to defend himself. "You are completely inadequate for this job." I deadpanned. "Konoha is doomed."

"Hey!" He retorted loudly, jumping to his feet and pointing a finger at me dramatically. It took little to offend him even now, after years of his life where he was supposed to mature and grow, and revoke a furious over-reaction. "I kicked your sorry, scrawny behind once, and I'll do it again! So help me god!" He bellowed rapidly, spurting out the words so quickly I could barely make sense of them. And he rambled on incessantly; a growing headache. "Just who do you think you are? I'm the sixth Hokage, dattebayo!"

I clamped my hands over my ears but they did not completely block out his yells. "Would you _shut up?_?" I hissed over them, causing him to fall into a greatly welcomed silence. "Deny it all you want, you're still a terrible Hokage."

I had expected him to burst into another fit of incoherent screams, but he returned to his seat, looking surprisingly defeated. He lowered his head, and the tufts of golden hair shielded his eyes from view. "I know, I know." He muttered. I was stunned. Maybe he had changed more than I thought, after all. His eyes shot up to meet mine once more, glistening hopefully. "But I'm a fast learner!"

"No, you're not." I replied.

And up he was again, gripping two bars and pressing his face in between them, getting as close to in-my-face as he could get under the circumstances. "You're a glutton for punishment, Sasuke-teme! I'll put a hurt on you, I swear I will! I kicked your sorry, scrawny behind once, and I can do it again!" I could see the tendons in his tanned, clenched hands. "Are you listening to me? Get over here, you coward! Stop hiding in the corner!"

"For the last time, you did not kick my sorry, scrawny behind. Not that I have one," I added quickly. "I didn't fight back. That doesn't qualify as a win, sorry to break it to you."

"Yes it does. I won by default." He said proudly, jabbing himself in the chest with his thumb. He paused, his expression relaxing as he stared at me thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, why was it exactly that you didn't fight back, Sasuke?" He leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin against his intertwined fingers. "You're the kind of stubborn prick who would never surrender."

I breathed in, avoiding his piecing gaze, and tried to think out a plausible excuse. The true reason why I had given in so willingly was one I would never be willing to share, and one that wouldn't be pried out of me even if a sword was hanging above my head. The words came to me easily enough. Lying had become my lifestyle. "Why would I?" I asked coolly, giving a slight shake of the head. "I killed him. I was going in that direction eventually anyway."

I was anxious. Anxious as I waited to see whether or not he would accept my answer. How... foolish. There was a pit in my stomach when it became obvious enough that my response had not satisfied him. He was clearly skeptical. "You still won't back down from a fight Sasuke, pointless or not."

I opened my mouth, bidding more falsehoods to come and clear away his suspicion. They didn't. I sat there silently, raking my mind for excuses, praying he wouldn't pursue the matter further. Drop it. Just drop it. _Please_.

"You didn't want to let her see you like that, did you?"

Was I really so easy to read? Was it really that obvious? Or was Naruto really so much smarter than I pegged him for?

As much as I hated to admit it, Naruto had become too strong to overcome easily. Engaging in battle with him would mean relying on the second stage of the cursed seal, and... She was standing right there. Right next to him. Those innocent eyes should never be tainted my such a sight. How could I let her see me turn into such a... monster? I _never_ want to let her see me...

Before I realized what I was doing my mouth was already spurting out denials. "Don't say such ridiculous things." I huffed, making a point of staring anywhere besides at him. I didn't want any proof to be given away in my eyes. "Why on earth would I give a crap about what _Sakura_ sees me as?" Before I had even realized my mistake his mouth was slipping into a triumphant smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. But I didn't mention anything about _Sakura_, now did I?"

He had backed me into a corner. I could hardly believe that I had let myself be trapped so easily, condemned by a simple slip of the tongue. Despite the fact it was helpless to deny it any longer, I still searched desperately to defend myself from his accurate accusations. He just grinned knowingly, ineffectively trying to hold back snorts of laughter.

"Did somebody say my name?" 

Her voice caught me, and apparently Naruto too, off guard. He froze and went rigid, paling several shades. Sakura was walking down the hallway towards us in a white lab coat, and she seemed to glow in comparison to her otherwise dreary surroundings. Her eyes were narrowed but her lips were smiling, indicating an amused disapproval as she stared at a speechless Naruto. "S-Sakura-chan!" He spluttered, shooting upwards to his feet as she came to a stop in front of him, putting one hand on her hip. He towered over her by a good head, even when his shoulders were hunched as he put his hands in front of himself defensively. His face slipped into a sheepish smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to check on _him._" She spat, gesturing towards me. Her words jabbed like a knife at my chest. She wouldn't even so much as say my name. "I'm doing my job. You, on the other hand, better explain why you are here and NOT doing your job, fast." She scolded him like a mother would her child.

"Um... I came to give Sasuke some company!" He said quickly and unconvincingly. "See, look at the poor thing. Doesn't he seem so lonely?" I opened my mouth to say something about hating every minute of his unwanted visit, and wishing him away, but she did. She looked right at me, but she looked right through me. My brain shut down. Those green eyes bore right into me, even though they were so cold, so uncaring. As suddenly as she had turned it my way she turned her head away and directed her attention back towards Naruto.

"He's been happy to be alone for his entire life, and he's happy to be alone now." She replied. "Now you get your butt back to your office before I serve it to the council on a platter, understood?" He nodded quickly and tore off down the hallway, looking over his shoulder once before disappearing out of sight. As she watched him go her anger faded into a look I hated, a look I loathed to see on her face, directed towards him. Fondness. Adoration. Love.

She turned to me wordlessly and I remained immobile, paralyzed as she opened the door to my cell and slipped inside, closing it behind her. She walked towards me, rifling inside of her bag and pulling out a flashlight, shining it in each of my eyes in turn. "Any pain, nausea, dizziness?" I could only shake my head, unable to force any words out. "Good." She said, scribbling down something on her clipboard. "Any irregularity in your digestive system?" I shook my head. She wrote something on her clipboard, and pulled a tongue suppressor out of her bag. "Open your mouth."

I nearly gagged when she shoved the wood inside of my mouth and peered down my throat, before standing up straight and returning to her clipboard to record her findings once again. I hated this. I hated it when she treated me like I were any other patient, no matter how professional of her it was. I wasn't any other patient. I was... I was her... I was her...

Nothing. I wasn't her anything any longer.

I watched her, transfixed by the grace of her movements, by the way her perfect lips formed each word she wrote down, by the way she tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. How I would have loved to touch that hair. How I would have loved to kiss those lips... I pinched my eyes shut tightly, trying to clear my train of thought. Wrong. This was so... wrong. She was supposed to be the one swooning over me. She was supposed to be the one who directed her unrequited love towards me, and not the other way around.

How had I become so captivated by her? How had she grown to hate me so...?

I left. And she changed.

I was brought speeding back down to earth when she brushed my bangs back tenderly from my ear. Such a simple, meaningless action sent my mind spinning and my heart racing, caused my breath to catch in my throat. She stuck a thermometer in my ear. Completely professional. Completely void of any and all romantic intentions. And yet... It still managed to floor me.

"Hm..." She said, examining the thermometer. "You're a little warm." She pressed her palm against my forehead. I gulped. She was completely unaware that nothing but a touch from her could cause the feeling to wash away from the rest of my body, and then race back all at once. It burned and froze. It was as light as a feather, but weighed a thousand pounds. "Alright. Off with the shirt. I need to change the bandages."

It was an old wound that I had received from my fight with my older brother that had reopened when Naruto flung himself on top of me. I slipped my sleeves off from around my shoulders and freed my arms uncertainly. She made me feel unbelievably self conscious. I tried to hold my breath and stay as still as a statue as she unwound the the the bandage wrapped around my abdomen. It made the experience a little less unbearable when I wasn't panting like a tired dog and flinching at every brush of her dainty fingers. She was close. So very close that I could see her pale skin up close and take in the scent that came off it. Intoxicating.

She was done quickly and consumed by her notes once more. I waited for my erratic heartbeat to return to normal. "Alright, take these to bring your fever down." She instructed as she dropped a pair of while cylindrical pills into my upturned hand. She began shoving her tools back inside of the pouch strapped to her waist as she backed towards the door. "I'll be back tomorrow to check up on you." She said, followed by the click of the lock turning. She paused briefly and looked at me through the metal bars, her lips curling downwards and her eyes softening. "And Sasuke?"

"...What?"

"Get some sleep tonight. You look awful."

--

I woke up in a cold sweat, vivid images of the bloody corpses of loved ones still on the back of my eyelids. I was overcome with the overwhelming urge to kill, to kill him, to make him pay. Make him pay for what he's done to them, what he's done to me. I wanted revenge.

But I couldn't. I already _had_.

Then why was I left so unsatisfied?

I sat upright, still trembling with rage and grief, and stared into the blackness of the cell. Now that the lights had been turned off, there was nothing but the faint sound of dripping water and darkness. I was alone. I was cold. I had been abandoned by and torn from those I cared about the most in this world, and forsaken by the one thing I thought would bring me happiness.

No matter how hard I tried, no matter how desperately I grasped at something, it evaded me. 

Happiness rejected me.

Was I truly fated to a life of misery?

I wanted to avenge the death of my family. And after I had wasted years and years and years of my life, it had brought me nothing but empty regret and a cell in the wing of Konoha jail reserved for only the most dangerous criminals.

I wanted to start my own family.

And I was forced to watch the woman I wished to start it with fawn over my best friend.


	2. Sexy and Scratching

_I told myself to give it up.  
I fought so hard to be free of him.  
And just when I thought I could finally accept  
Who had accepted me all along  
He decided to walk back into my life  
And fuck everything up.  
Please..._

_Just..._

L e a v e M e A l o n e

**C h a p t e r I I**

The wind pounded harshly against my windows, causing them to rattle in cacophony. But even if it weren't the scream of a storm outside, the sounds inescapable even when I pulled my pillows and covers over my head, I still would not be able to sleep. My body was still hot. My heart was still pounding. My mind was still swimming with striking images of naked skin and the memory of its feel under my hands — much too soft and too warm to be expected of someone like him. It had only been a bare chest, dammit. A bare chest that had me out of breath, my face flushed, trying to fight it from my mind like some hormone-driven teenage girl.

But of course, it wasn't just _any_ shirtless chest. It was the shirtless chest of Uchiha Sasuke, and it therefore had my mind reeling with non-too-innocent thoughts. If only his skin weren't flawless and unblemished, and pale. Not the gaunt, nerdy type of pale that was commonly associated with people who never saw sun — it was more like porcelain. Smooth. Firm. Pulled over slim, but powerful muscles that tightened instinctively when touched. I had ogled him as a boy, there was no denying that. But now that he was a man, it was a different case entirely.

Holy shit-fuck. (Pardon my French.) In my academy days, it had been: Oh, Sasuke-kun is _so_ dreamy. Oh, Sasuke-kun is _so_ cute. But know, whenever a thought about his appearance wormed it's way through my mind's desperate defenses, it was: Holy shit-fuck. Sasuke is the embodiment of sex.

He wasn't the ragged, woodsman type of manly man. No, he was clean cut and perfect, in fact, so perfect that I was beginning to get suspicious. Because NOBODY looks that good without makeup on. And of course, he flaunted it like he wasn't aware of his mirror-melting hotness, like the only thing that people could see when looking at him was his nonchalant attitude and fearsome glower. And he pointed his eyes about like they _weren't_ weapons of mass destruction. Those eyes. Those deep, dark eyes. They were windows into his soul. I looked in them and I saw torment, torture, hatred.

So as you can imagine, this made my job very difficult. I did not volunteer to be Sasuke's doctor, but it had quite clearly been expected of me, and when I didn't step up to the plate, asked of me by the one person whose requests I could not refuse: Naruto's. It was not an easy task to attempt to keep a professional facade while, for lack of a better term, fondling Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sure, if given the motivation, he could have even turned Jiraiya into a flaming homosexual. It wasn't my fault that my heart pitter-pattered pathetically any time I was near him. No, I would blame that on his parents, who created something potentially deadly to all female kind.

No. I did not love him. Not any more.

There was a wide margin between attraction and affection, and I had not crossed it in a long time. At one point, I suppose, I _had_ found his icy, untouchable demeanor something that I could be fond of. I wanted to reach out and act as catalyst between the broken pieces of his heart, forcing myself through the barriers he had put up to keep himself and his unalterable goals inside and everyone else_out._ But I would not face that heartbreak again. I was tired of chasing after something that would never be. He didn't love me, and he never would, and if I wanted any chance at happiness I would have to let him go.

And I did. Filling the gap it had left within me for a newfound adoration for the other man in my life, Naruto.

He wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, that was a given. He was ditsy and absent-minded, not to mention and eternal headache, but he had important features that heavily outweighed his obvious shortcomings. He was brave. Determined. _Kind_. The complete and polar opposite of Sasuke. And while I was sure that either to some extent, or once upon a time, he was capable of thinking of me romantically — I kept my mouth shut. Not only out of fear of rejection, but because I just couldn't find it in myself to do it to poor, sweet Hinata.

Yes, _x_ number of years (I'm not quite sure when it started. Maybe when she was born.) and she was _still_ hopelessly enamored of his ignorant ass. And as much as I loved him, and wanted to be with him, it seemed unconditionally cruel to snatch him from right under her hopefully waiting nose. I would not do it. I could not do it. I had a heart. But neither would I sit idly by and watch as she finally gathered up the courage to make a move. I had decided to take on the impossible task of making Hinata _not_ love Naruto. Crazy. I know. But it had to be done. There were plenty of other men out there that she had a chance of being happy with, while I, on the other hand, was convinced that Naruto was my one and only.

Besides. Wasn't I allowed to be selfish every once and a while?

Sleep continued to evade me.

--

And here I was again, the (figurative) lamb entering the (figurative) lion's den. God help me.

It had been a last minute decision to check up on him first thing in the morning, instead of later on that night. It was impulsive and thoughtless, but I could see nothing the matter with the idea at the time, so I listened to the eager suggesting of my subconscious and wandered to the lower levels of the jail, where the more threatening cases were kept, for both our safety and theirs. Threatening? Yes, he certainly was. To us? No. I knew that Sasuke had done some things that were questionable, but I did not think that he would harm us. I honestly didn't think he had it in him.

I veered around the corner leading towards his cell and stopped abruptly in front of it, expecting to see him sitting wherever he figured was cleanest and staring back at me, because of course, his sharp Uchiha ears had heard me coming. So, needless to say I was mildly surprised to find him an immobile lump on the uncomfortable looking cot, and even more surprised when I realized that he was quite asleep.

This was ... quite remarkable, actually. Not once, since I had first laid my eyes on Sasuke, had I ever witnessed him actually sleep. In the early years of team seven, whenever we were sent on overnight missions together, he would always be the last one to sleep and the first one to rise, and even if you woke up unexpectedly in the middle of the night, he two, just _happened_ to be coincidentally awake. And yet here he was, snoozing peacefully, completely exposed to my thirsty gaze. I tiptoed into his cell, venturing a closer look, looming over his still form.

The rest of his face was relaxed, but his dark, svelte brows were knitted together, and his eyelids flickered restlessly, as if he were troubled by something in his dreams. His lips were agape, letting uneven, heavy breaths escape from them, and his forehead was slick with a sheen of sweat. His cheeks, which still had a certain boyish roundness to them, were flushed, and if I had not realized there was something the matter with him I might have given in to the absurd desire to pinch them. I brushed aside glossy tendrils of hair, and put my palm to his forehead to check for a temperature.

"Damn." I swore under my breath, fumbling around hastily inside of my bag for a thermometer. He was warm. I stuck it in his ear, apparently too forcefully, because he jolted and stirred with a grunt of discontent. The thermometer beeped, and the thumb-nail sized screen read 106.4. Damn. Double damn.

It did not take me years of medical training to diagnose him. He rolled over onto his side, scratching at the red marks that had escaped my notice and crept up his arm, and moaned. "Itchy..."

He had Chickenpox.

--

I might have left him be and let it run its course if not for the knowledge that in adults, cases of Chickenpox could become severe if left unattended. And, I suppose, there was something in the way he seemed so utterly helpless and in need of care that drew me in with an unnatural, undeniable force. It reminded me painfully of the fateful night when he had first received the cursed seal, and I let him lay his head in my lap as he writhed and fidgeted in an awful unconsciousness. Part of me wanted to correct myself for not being able to help him then, by doing so now.

"We can't, Sakura." Tsunade said, juggling our conversation with multiple others as numerous people passed by and paused briefly for consultation. "We simply don't have the room. The hospital is overflowing enough as it is, and we have things more important that _chickenpox_ to be dealt with. I understand that a jail cell is an unsuitable place to let him remain, but if you're really concerned about it, you'll have to find somewhere else to keep him. And then you'll have to run it by Naruto, because he'll need constant supervision." She stacked a pile of papers together before shoving them into the hands of a passerby wordlessly. "I don't have the time to deal with this right now, sorry."

I nodded, feeling my face fall in disappointment. "I understand." I said. "Thanks anyway, Tsunade. I guess I better get going." I was in a bit of a hurry, seeing as I had no other choice but to leave him alone, and I was getting anxious to check on him. With nothing more than a quick wave as a farewell, I made my departure and hurried through the bustling crowd of bodies out of the hospital.

The walk to the Hokage's tower was short, but I took it quickly anyway, on the borderline of breaking into a run the entire way. I climbed the stairs that wound around it two at a time, until reaching Naruto's office and barging in without knocking. But instead of finding him doing whatever it was he did all day behind his desk, (I was pretty certain that it was NOT work,) he was nowhere to be seen, and instead, standing in his office and looming over his desk was one of the old, decrepit council members who nobody much liked, shuffling across the floor as her long robes dragged along behind her. "Um, where's Naruto?" I asked.

"Wouldn't I like to know?" She spat. (Literally. I saw the spray splatter across Naruto's disorganized papers.) "Well, if you do happen to find him, could you pass on the message that he owes me a week and a half worth of paperwork?"

"I'll make sure to remember." I lied, unsuccessfully trying to smile politely. "Sorry for bothering you." And I excused myself from the office. I was getting apprehensive now, worrying fretfully about the condition of Sasuke as he lay alone below layers of protective ground to fend for himself. He would probably have the common sense to stay in bed and not scratch, I hoped, seeing as it would do little else but worsen his condition. I tore back down the stairs, now in a full blown sprint, startling the ANBU guards as I whizzed past them.

I continued at that speed until I reached Ichiraku, only to discover, much to my dismay, that he wasn't there either. I could pretty much guess what he was doing, which was more than likely hiding in cowardice from the ravenous members of the council, but I only needed to know where. So at last, desperate, I resorted to looking where I had found him yesterday, and prayed that I would find him with Sasuke.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw the unmistakable orange figure of Naruto under a distance lamplight a little ways further down the hallway. My feet slapped against the ground as I broke into a jog and ran up towards him. "Ne, Sasuke-teme," he was saying, squinting as he leaned inwards so his nose was nearly touching one of the bars. "What do you keep scratching at? Did you sit in some poison ivy, or something? Hey, HEY!" My heart leaped at the loud 'thunk' of a body hitting the ground and the clang of something bashing against the metal frame of his cot. I skidded to a halt next to Naruto. "Hey, Sasuke, you alright? Sakura-chan! I think there's something--,"

Sasuke was trying to pick himself up, breathing raggedly, eyes half-shut. A dark streak off blood ran from his hairline, where he must have hit his head. "Idiot!" I cursed, brushing past Naruto and quickly to his side. He grabbed my arm, trying to use it to hoist himself up, but I struggled free from his grasp and leaned in, swiping away his bangs, to check the injury he had sustained from his fall. He'd need stitches. "You shouldn't be up! Are you mad? You're--!"

"I'm fiii..." He panted, which I interpreted as 'I'm fine,' and swayed as another dizzy spell hit him, falling backwards into my arms. I supported his weight, and he rested their limply, looking at me with unfocused eyes. He lifted a shaking hand and wiped at the blood that ran in between his eyes, staring at it for a while before finally muttering an "Ow..."

"What's the matter with him, Sakura-chan?" Naruto demanded in an ear-splitting howl, not bothering to mask any of his worry for the sake of his pride. I felt a stab of admiration towards him. Because he, even though he liked to pretend that he loathed Sasuke with the very essence of his being, wasn't afraid to show genuine concern when called for. He was so unintentionally sweet, it was heartwarming. "Is he okay?"

"He's got the Chickenpox." I replied, attempting to aid him up and back into bed. He accepted my help without complaint, even though his face noticeably scrunched in distaste when I announced my diagnostics. He lay down against the mattress and his chest heaved up and down as she attempted to catch his breath, as I pulled bandages out of my bag and tried to dab away the blood that was smeared across his face.

Naruto snorted, clamping a hand over his mouth and making an obvious attempt to fight back a peal of laughter until he was unable to do so any longer and let it echo through the underground caverns of the jail. I take back my previous comment about him. "Shut up!" Sasuke snapped, although it did not come out as intimidating as he had probably intended it to be, seeing as his speech was hopelessly slurred. I pressed the bloodied bandages against his cut, and he flinched, recoiling. "Ouch! Gently!" He hissed.

"It's not funny, Naruto! He's seriously sick!" I called over the sound of his immature giggling and Sasuke's vehement protests. "And you have no right to complain. You should have known better than to go walking around with a fever like yours. Here, sit up and hold that there while I have a word with Naruto for a moment or two, would you?" He gave a grunt of consent and managed to force himself upright with a considerable amount of effort, this time refusing my offer of help, and glared furiously at the wall as I slipped outside of his cell to speak with Naruto, who had only barely gotten control of his laughter.

I lowered my voice so that Sasuke couldn't hear, not even with his sharp Uchiha ears, and lead Naruto a few steps away before speaking to him. "We can't leave him down here." I started. "Judging by his nonexistent sense of self preservation, he very may well end up killing himself. But they've got no room for him at the hospital and I don't have the first idea what to do with him. Oh, and by the way, if you don't get that goddamn paperwork done, I'm going to force feed it to you."

He remained quiet for a moment, thinking the situation over in silence, before his face lit up with an idea. "Well, he can stay with you then, can't he?" He ignored my quip about the paperwork.

"No, no, he can't." I replied. "There's always the matter of security, Naruto. Until his trial he has to be kept in custody." We spoke in hushed whispers, our backs turned to Sasuke so that he couldn't read our lips, and I could feel his intense stare boring into my back. I wouldn't have been surprised if it left a crater. "And I don't feel like having the ANBU invade my privacy, thank you very much."

"ANBU-shmanbu." He replied with a light-hearted shrug. "You'll be all the security he needs."

And before I seemed to realize what I had gotten myself into, it was too late.

--

So finally. After like, FOREVER, I finally decide to give you the next chapter of this story! I apologize to all of those who have been waiting patiently for an update, especially seeing as so many have seemed to take interest in it. My primary focus is still on Y o h o, and I've also got another story in progress, so I hope you'll understand.

So please, please please, don't forget to leave a R E V I E W !


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